Easter Day, 2012

Colgan Boys (Mid-March 2012)

A chin tuck expression like his big sis, Parie...

Just turned 4 Tommy...
The curls of the boy, Noah, at 19 months and proud big bro, so very fond of his babiest brother, Fletcher, who just shows such compassion and tenderness to Noah it melts me...
Because a Momma loves an opportunity for a booty shot...

Outside the Penny Arcade in Manitou Springs

Was so hoping for a cute shot on this green bench, but no such luck!

A very common Noah expression...

Tommy was excited by this ride with his favorite superhero...
Tommy still says his favorite color is green. He and Mommy share a favorite color, but certainly not favorite foods! Tommy still says hot dogs or pizza when asked what some of his favorite foods are...ugh! :(

Manitou Springs, March 3, 2012

Had fun just sitting on these...

Manitou Springs, March 3, 2012

The Penny Arcade has "quaint" machines :) to play for a dime or even a penny!

Mommy loved the 1950's looking games...
Tommy, in action, "versing" Fletcher. "Fletchie, I 'voyz' you?" Translation: Tommy asking if he can "verse" (play against) Fletcher.

Noah found plenty to do, too.
Fletcher, wearing what he calls his "Dallas Stars" jersey. Really just an old Upwards basketball team shirt from a few seasons ago.
Fletchie's "fray-vor-ite" (he still says favorite with the 'r' sound before the 'a'....which I love) game was probably the pin ball machine he played with Charlie.

Fun learning about the Anasazi, ancient pueblo peoples

Walking back from the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde

Tommy was brave to descend the steep ladder into the underground kiva.
Noah was a TROOPER with so much less sleep in the past 24 hours than normal. After an eight hour car drive to Durango, CO where we ate dinner and spent the night on Thursday and then a 40 mile drive to Mesa Verde for our tour of the cliff dwellings, Noah had gotten jipped out of plenty of naps by late afternoon on Friday!
Paris told me at breakfast on Friday that she still loves pink the best, "or Mom, I wouldn't have picked to wear these if I didn't still love pink!" (referring to her pink jeans)
At one point (while he was still two), Tommy's favorite color was "purp" (we all loved how he said purple as just 'purp') but for quite some time now, he has loved green the best. I'm pretty sure it had to do originally with the Hulk being green. Now, he just truly likes green and pointed out this week that Noah and I were both wearing his favorite color on the same day he was wearing green, too. This brought him much satisfaction when he discovered it.
Tommy loves the fighter pilot jacket that Fletcher and he both wore as two year olds. It still fits him fairly well and is just slightly too big for Noah, so he is getting to enjoy it again yet another year!

Mesa Verde, Nov.18, 2011

Paris is descending into the kiva.

Tommy LOVED the cave houses.

The big kids thought the Anasazi cliff dwellings were super cool.
Sarah is enjoying learning to take pictures with the nice camera, while Fletcher has fun with "his" ipod touch (a.k.a. our old iphone that we discontinued phone service on years ago!)

Big Kids' Costumes 2011

Puss n' Boots and the Gingerbread Man from Shrek:

Both girls were tickled with their outfits which so pleased me! I was so thankful they liked what they were wearing and how they looked.
This is our only picture with Fletch actually wearing his Shrek green tube ears! He did his own green face paint. We attempted to make a Shrek belly for him but nothing pleased him in that regard. His major complaint was having to wear Sarah's boots for Shrek booties...he was fine with the idea of just wearing tennis shoes. But Shrek wore brown booties, Fletch! Sarah's boots were just right for the costume but boy, oh boy, was he not thrilled with wearing something that was a GIRL'S! Oh my, MY!

Snow Fort Fun

Sarah and Fletch spent hours building a snow fort using plastic buckets to form the snow bricks. They were looking for twigs, sticks for the roof, and when I suggested they use the lightweight sleds for a roof they replied indignantly, "Mom, this is an all-natural snow fort! We are only using natural things for it!"

Parie just eats snow constantly as she plays. She is always scooping up a handful as she walks along whether climbing back up the sledding hill or playing around in the yard.
Parie's quotable from the past year when she gets even slightly warm, "Mom, I'm BURNING!" So walking back up the sledding hill this week she wanted to take her coat off and just wear her snow pants with her lightweight three-quarter length sleeved shirt...I said, "No, leave your coat on." Isn't that what Moms are supposed to say? So I got the, "But Mom, I'm BURNING!" Parie quote. That girl is often one extreme or the other now. She's like me in that she is often cold and needs a warm hoodie on but if she is moving around in the slightest she'll get "Burning!" Sarah is still prone to being hot (rarely cold like me or Parie) and Fletch would never, ever wear a jacket if I didn't ask him to...maybe a Payson or a Charlie thing. I seem to remember my mom saying Payson would never wear a coat if he wasn't forced to. Charlie wears a coat now in CO more than Fletch would (if I wasn't around reminding him to please wear it!)

Mother's Day 2011- pictures from Daniel's Park